I'd like to have a word with you...

"Okay ladies and gentlemen, I'm handing back your essays on your favorite authors, and I must say I was quite impressed with the analytical skills of many of you." Dr. Hooves said as he handed back everyone's papers. The pre-AP instructor had taken to wearing a dapper tan bowler hat and plaid sweater vest with a tan sport coat. He walked with his umbrella tapping on the tilled floor, the question mark shaped handle giving him the appearance of The Riddler.

"However, some of you really should remember that while this only PRE AP literature, you should do well to know the format and prose one must posses to pen an AP essay." He said this just as he handed you back your own paper. He had written a big C with the paper just barley scoring a 74, if he'd been a bit more lenient and made it an even 75, you could have gotten a decent C+.

"Dr. Hooves?" You ask him as you look at the comment he'd left on the paper...Adequate but needs more effort to be exceptional.

"Yes Mr. Anon? Did you have a question about the agenda for today?" He said getting the chalk out ready to start his daily lesson.

"Actually...I had a question regarding my essay score." You tell him re-reading it, taking notes of the teacher's comments like, Why does the motivation of Pennywise not make sense? Explain next time.

Mr. Anon, please see me after class if you have any concerns we have a time crunch to stick too." He said as he resumed writing Faustus and the Inferno comparisons between the key concepts, on the board. He spent the class time going on about how man always looks for a reason to explain both his own personal sufferings and the suffering of the world as a whole, from the origins of evil in the world to a whole bunch of philosophical gobbledygook you really couldn't care about too much. Until he finally finished with the lesson. You nervously approached his desk as he took out some weird device that kept making a loud buzzing noise.

"Dr.Hooves?" You ask giving your paper a last look over.

"You found my grade on that essay not to your liking didn't you Anon?" He said in a gravely and yet also reassuring voice not unlike Liam Neeson or Paul Newman. It was...comforting but also intimidating to hear."

"You asked for a paper on our favorite authors, did I not deliver in that regard?" You ask looking at the teacher with big sad eyes.

"Did you not see my rubric on the assignment?" He said taking a copy of the rubric from his desk. "You chose the author Stephen King, and while I did find your analysis on how despite being typecast a horror author, you noted his style can cover various genres, from drama in Different Seasons, to the mystery in Joyland, and even fantasy in his Dark Tower series, but there's a few things you missed. As I commented, you said the motivation of the antagonist pennywise in IT didn't make sense to you..okay why? Then you say the short story trucks could have used better emphasis on why machines have gone rouge, could you have given an example of what you think that could be?" DR. Hooves looks from you to the rubric and back and gives you a look that screams sympathy.

"I think I still deserve more than a solid C sir." You say as calmly as possible without anger so as not to irk the semi British teacher.

"You're a good student Anon." He said handing back the paper now with a solid 75 C+ on it, "but I need you to be a really exceptional one if you want higher grades than this...I'm only doing this because I want to see my students strive."

"Yeah yeah," you say walking out of his classroom. You need all the reserves of decency you have to avoid flipping him off as you leave.

A few hours later you're in Ms. Harshwhinny's science class giving your oral report on the Terra-formation of Mars. You watch as she looks at you with attentive intensity as she jots down note after note on your presentation. As you stand and deliver your speech to the class of others, you can't help it, try as you might, but you stutter and a few words end up slipping here and there. You find yourself starting to sway like an Ever-free park tree caught in a storm as their eyes including Harshwhinny's are almost piercing you as they gaze.

"And thus, I...believe that...with that technology available....the tetra,,,I mean Terra-forming of mars could be a reality within my own generation...thank you." You take your seat seeing a few smirks and hear a few snickers.

"Thank you Mr. Anon, now will Mr. Atom Link I belive you report was on the revival of atomic sciences of yesteryear?" She says as a cream colored boy in a nerdy shirt and glasses approaches the class with a hydrogen atomic model on a stand in hand. You barley listen as you take in how Atom is able to stand and deliver his report like a university professor. When it's done as the other students leave. You approach Ms. Harshywhinny's desk and ask.

"So how'd I do Ms. Harshwhinny?" You ask still a little nerve racked.

"It was adequte Mr. Anon, decent by most standards. However, I must advise you to watch your posture and speaking patterns next time, your audience won't take you seriously when you slouch, sway, and stutter the way you did toward the end." She tries her best so as not to make it sound like she's giving you hard time, really she only means to give constructive criticism to her students, but rumors and talk has a way of spreading this idea that she, as her name implies. Is a mean teacher that only lowers anyone with less then exceptional performance in class. Truth be told, Ms. HArshwhinny, especially now was very different than that. "You're a good student and a nice young man Mr. Anon."

"But I have to be an exceptional one, yeah yeah I know." You say letting your attitude slip a little bit.

"Be that as it may," she replies with a taken a back tone at your attitude. "You do well to keep those words of wisdom in mind Mr. Anon, and keep that nose clean around here or I'll Principal Celestia and vice Principal Luna clean it for you." She says with a wave of her hand.

"I know Ms. Harshywhinny...I know." You never thought you'd be so happy for the lunch bell to ring. As you make your way to the cafeteria, you don't notice Vice Principal Luna talking with another guy in a navy blue button up and slacks, with a midnight violet sweater vest over it, they watched as you dumped your books in your locker and grab the bag of left overs from last night's Taco bell from the top shelf.

"You want to speak to him?" Luna's "assistant" says as he adjusts his violet sweater vest.

"I just want us to talk...only talk this time, don't make it sound like he's in trouble." Luna says with a soft smile as she eyes you across the hall.

"I'll try not to make him run screaming like a girl this time." was all the other guy could say.